Toto Wolff once faced the wrath of the media after Lewis Hamilton failed to arrive at the first meeting at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. This took place after the Mercedes star was busy launching his own collection with $450 million fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger in Shanghai, China. Therefore, he got delayed for the GP while his team was busy preparing for the race.
As the media were busy asking Wolff questions on professionalism and the whereabouts of Hamilton, the Mercedes boss knew all of it. Interestingly, it all happened under the permission of the Austrian boss. He allowed the seven-time world champion to pursue his liking.
During the recent Secrets of Success podcast, Wolff talked all about it when asked by host Nasser Hussain. Speaking about this, Wolff said, “Lewis Hamilton is a friend of mine and he drives to be creative, successful in the fashion industry. Something that I permitted from the beginning and because we have the pact, he performs.”
Following this, Wolff added, “I remember sitting with the engineers and he was face timing me and saying that ‘I’m on the catwalk, launching my own collection with Tommy Hilfiger and I can’t believe, thank you for letting me do this.”
Soon after this, Wolff revealed how elated the Briton was after he received the chance to launch his clothing line. Wolff instantly knew Hamilton was going to deliver in the race due to this.
The Silver Arrows boss then reflected on how impressive the British driver was during the GP. “That was the moment when everyone stopped telling me or telling him what to do or how to lead his life,” Wolff recalled. Hamilton indeed delivered a brilliant performance at the Singapore GP.
He took the pole position 0.319 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Hamilton was then equally impressive during the race as well as he crossed the finish line almost nine seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton is a true fashion icon
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the greatest F1 drivers on the planet. However, when he’s away from the circuit, he’s a certified fashion icon. From Tommy Hilfiger to Dior, the number of brands he endorses is endless. Recently, Hamilton arrived in Paris for the pre-event of Paris Fashion Week in association with Dior.
Apart from this, the Mercedes man is a regular at the Met Gala as well. During the 2021 Met Gala, the Silver Arrows ace bought out a table to provide young black designers a chance. Among his invitees were Kenneth Nicholson, Edvin Thompson, and Jason Rembert.
Hamilton is also an inspiration to fellow F1 drivers such as Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver revealed his love for fashion and talked about how he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Hamilton and launch his own clothing line. Hamilton launched his clothing line known as +44, and perhaps this is something the Monegasque wanted to follow.
